Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 28416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 142(@200wpm)___ 114(@250wpm)___ 95(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 142(@200wpm)___ 114(@250wpm)___ 95(@300wpm)
“Oh, you know,” I say in an airy tone. “To highlight a woman’s mid-riff, or maybe her nipples, or you know … down there.”
Both of my parents stare at me, aghast.
“You’re working at a sex shop,” my dad manages in a strangled tone.
“Yes!” my mom wails, clasping her face with her palms. “Imagine if a branch opened downtown and people saw our daughter working inside! I’d be so embarrassed!”
There you have it. My parents aren’t prudes, nor do they care what I do with my time, really. What they care about is their reputation and upholding the “perfect family” image. Having an ugly daughter with crazy red hair working at a sex shop is beyond the pale. Amity and Andrew look like they’re going to faint.
“That’s it,” my dad says. “You’re quitting your job.”
“No, I’m not,” I snap back at him. “A Woman’s Secret is doing really well, and like I said, Chloe’s smart. I’m learning a ton from her, and she’s done me a favor by taking a chance on me. You know that we used to work at McDonald’s together, right? So she knows that I don’t have any experience with retail, but she hired me anyways.”
“That’s how you know her?” my mom gasps, her blue eyes bulging from their sockets. “From McDonald’s?”
“Yes,” I snap back. “Haven’t you been listening? For your information, McDonald’s wasn’t bad either. I wouldn’t recommend standing over a deep fryer eight hours every day for the rest of your life, but they run their stores like machines. Heck, McDonald’s is one of the most profitable brands in the world! I’d love to go to Hamburger University one day to learn their secrets. But unfortunately, that’s only open to franchisees and I was just a crew member.”
But my praise for the Golden Arches falls on deaf ears. Andrew and Amity merely continue to stare at one another, their features frozen with horror.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” my mom murmurs. “Our daughter works at a sex store and soon, everyone’s going to know.”
“It’s not that bad,” I interject. “Everyone buys this stuff! They just don’t talk about it.”
But my parents are shaken, and my dad fixes me with a stern look.
“It’s time,” he says.
“Time for what?” I ask, frustrated. “I swear, you guys just don’t get it. I’m not like you, okay? I don’t want to sell houses! I don’t want to kiss up to clients, and I definitely don’t want to shill property that’s sub-par. I’d kill myself if I had your jobs.”
My parents’ heads snap towards me.
“That’s enough,” my dad says in a tight voice. “You have no idea how hard we work.”
“We do everything in our power to provide you with a good life,” my mom wails, wringing her hands. “And what do you do? You take up work in a sex shop. The minute our clients find out, they’ll drop us. The minute our friends at the country club find out, they’ll be laughing behind our backs. We’re going to be the talk of the town, and not in a good way!” Amity’s sentence ends on a shrill note, and I literally cover my ears, wincing at the sharp sound.
“It’s not that bad—” I begin, but my dad interrupts again.
“Since you won’t quit your job, it’s clear that there’s no way to turn this around. We need to get rid of you, Amy.”
“Get rid of me?” I repeat, gawking at Andrew. “What do you mean? That sounds a little ominous. I mean, I didn’t know you were going to hire a contract killer to off me like in the movies,” I say in a dry tone. Unfortunately, my humor is lost on my parents.
“You’re going to be married,” my dad announces. “Once you’re married, you’ll no longer be our responsibility. What you do won’t reflect on us, but rather on your husband. Although good luck to him,” Andrew adds in a low voice. “He has my condolences.”
I fly into a fury then.
“You guys are insane! First of all, this isn’t the Middle Ages. You don’t get rid of your daughters by marrying them off. That’s so old-fashioned and ridiculous. Second, what I do will always reflect on you because everyone in St. George knows that I’m your daughter! It’s not like you can erase an entire community’s collective memory with a wave of your hand.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” my dad says in an even voice while exchanging a look with my mom. “One of our country club friends has agreed to marry you, and fortunately, he’s only in St. George during the season. You’ll be out of our hair for most of the year.”
I sputter.
“Where is he then? Mexico? Canada? Outer space? I swear, you guys are making no sense.”
“No, we are,” my mom interjects. “We’re just trying to do what’s right for you, and what’s right for us too. We can’t have you walking around St. George looking the way you do while bearing the Ryan name. Everyone knows we’re the Ryan Team at Circle Brokerage, and you reflect badly on us, Amy. I could have snagged a new client last week, except the family’s daughter was a classmate of yours. When they found out you were our child, they were no longer interested in working with us.”